conversation: Hockey, Wi-Fi (none) and Starbucks.
I had originally wanted to take M to another coffee store, but when we got there. It was closed! We concluded it to be because they might not get a lot of business during weekday lunchtimes, so we checked my list to see any other coffee stores in the area. We found two that were essentially next to each other and went on a little trek to find them. Once we found those, they were closed too! I don't understand! Why would they do this to me? Why?
We ended up settling with a little restaurant between the two closed coffee stores, and decided to hunt for another one afterwards. In the end, whilst walking within Langham Shopping Mall, we were both tired and not really in the mood to go coffee hunting. I had heard good reviews about Main St. Cafe (on the food court level of the mall) so we decided to check it out.
It was more of an open bar cafe as there was a little booth for you to order and pick up your drinks or food. Prices were cheap: Espresso coffees ranged between HKD$20 - $35 with hot and cold options available. Savoury foods such as hot dogs and sandwiches as well as cakes, scones and donuts are priced accordingly (we saw this super huge cheese cake for about $45 per slice, their selling point is their New York cheese cake). Seating approximately 30 (not including the bar seats and outside), the area is comfortable and a good place to relax with the general buzz of the shopping mall.
I had a cappuccino, medium/fit, HKD$28. She had a blueberry cioccolata, medium/fit, HKD$30.
First things first, I wanted my cappuccino in a ceramic cup because I wanted to take nice pictures with the store's logo, I saw the sizes of medium and large so when I asked them to see the small size, they said they didn't have any. So I had to get a medium, for the price, it seemed reasonable.I watched them make it as I waited by the handoff counter. Using a high-tech coffee machine and grinder, they seemed at ease in making coffees in large quantities for many people (there was a little bit of a line). As I watched the barista steam the milk, he multi-tasked by pulling the shots for another persons double espresso. For me, it is always hard to multi-task because I get so frazzled when I think of all the people just waiting on me. Ahh. M's drink came soon after, looking rather small for the price she paid.
We sat down at a nice secluded spot next to a guy studying and on the other side, a lady sleeping. Scooping into my foam, I realised that there was a lot of foam and I mean, a lot of foam. Like, 5 cm deep worth of foam. Every sip that I took (I burnt my tongue! Too hot) I got a huge gulp of foam. As much as the foam was creamy, I felt a little over-indulgent after drinking such a large cup of milky coffee that was predominantly foam. Overall, the espresso was very strong but not as bitter as I had expected it to be (maybe the foam helped a bit).
No pictures of M's blueberry cioccolata which was thick and creamy but with a subtle hint of blueberry syrup. We were trying to figure out why there was such a distinct taste to her beverage and concluded with us figuring out that they probably use dark chocolate as their chocolate base. Makes sense. Maybe not something I would try again but hey, try new things!
Main St. Cafe reminds me of Starbucks, maybe apart from them foaming the milk themselves (Starbucks uses a machine that starts and stops accordingly). With more food options but less drink combinations available, the prices and seating of Main St. Cafe reflect Starbucks and Pacific Coffee Company greatly.If you are maybe in the area, and are tired from shopping around in Langham Place. Maybe it's cold outside or too hot to be walking around too much. Then try it out. Although maybe if you're looking for specialty coffees (rather than food and coffee), I would recommend Caffe Pascucci instead.
address: Shop 13, Level 4A, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok.
旺角亞皆老街8 號朗豪坊4A樓13號舖
phone: 3514 9332
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